Expression of a cotton profilin gene GhPFN1 is associated with fiber cell elongation

Profilin is an important actin-binding protein involved in regulating the organization of actin filaments. A cotton profilin gene (GhPFN1) that shares 71% identity to profilin1 of Arabidopsis in its amino acid sequence was isolated. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that GhPFN1 was expressed preferentially in the developing cotton fibers and reached the highest level at the fast elongation stage. The function of GhPFN1 in vivo was analyzed using the S. pombe system, and results suggested that GhPFN1 plays a role in fiber cell elongation.